First, Playoff Computer takes your league's standings, relevant data (points, division record, etc.), remaining schedule, and tiebreaker information. Then you choose among the following options: The quick "Monte Carlo" option randomly simulates the rest of the season 10,000 times to quickly provide approximate odds for each team; The more intensive options plays out each possible permutation of the rest of the season (or uses a custom formula when there are too many possible scenarios to mathematically calculate) to determine which teams have clinched a playoff spot or been eliminated from such. Furthermore, Playoff Computer provides our acclaimed "paths-to-clinch" analysis that lists what scenarios need to happen for teams to clinch Division or Wildcard spots!

Doesn't my league's website already tell me if a team has clinched a playoff spot?

All known fantasy league websites and basic standings analysis only use "magic numbers" in their calculations. They do not use the remaining schedule information to make their determinations nor take into account tiebreaker information, which basically provides incomplete and inaccurate results. The advantage of Playoff Computer is that it looks at the remaining schedule and tiebreaker information to determine which teams have clinched a spot or been eliminated that would be missed by just using "magic number" calculations. More importantly, Playoff Computer provides the groundbreaking "paths-to-clinch" report!

What types of leagues can Playoff Computer be used for?

The web-app was set-up primarily for fantasy football but can be used for any type of league with these traits: Up to 16 teams per league or conference; Head-to-Head match-ups (ie each game results in either a win/tie/loss for each team). New for 2016, hockey type points-based leagues where a win = 2 points, overtime loss = 1 point, and a conventional loss = 0 points is now supported!

Will Playoff Computer work for all sports?

Playoff Computer will work for any sport as long as the league's setup meets the basic parameters described above.

Is there an ideal league set-up?

Playoff Computer was conceived primarily for fantasy football, where an average league has 8-14 teams playing a 12-13 week regular season of head-to-head matches between participants each week, and playoff spots are awarded to the top 4-8 teams based on winning percentages (or points for hockey type leagues). However, any league that meets the parameters described above can be used with Playoff Computer.

Can Playoff Computer handle league's with multiple divisions and wildcards?

Yes!

How accurate are the results?

As the season winds down Playoff Computer makes more and more of its calculations based on performing all possible permutations and provides deeper "paths-to-clinch" analysis. Thus the results become more and more thorough, based on the inputs provided, each week closer to the end of the season. When there are a large number of games remaining, Playoff Computer adds probability calculations into the mix and limits the "paths-to-clinch" analysis in order to provide analysis further out from the end of the season in a reasonable amount of time. While we believe the results are pretty darn good, keep in mind these three caveats: The tiebreaker procedures and calculations used in Playoff Computer may not completely match any particular league's official rules; There are some "known issues" that may impact results for complicated set-ups (see the web-app page); Due to the sheer number of possible permutations inherent in these calculations, complete testing is an impossibility.

What standings tiebreakers can be accounted for?

The web-app currently supports division-records, conference-records, points-for, points-against, "all-play", and head-to-head tiebreakers. Note the methods of calculating head-to-head tiebreakers in Playoff Computer may not completely conform to any particular league's tiebreaker rules.

How long does the program take to make its calculations?

The web-app will take anywhere from a few seconds to many minutes depending on the complexity of the situation presented. There is no easy way to estimate ahead of time how long it will take. Things that factor into the processing time include league setup (ie divisions), number of teams in the league, number of teams still with a chance to make the playoffs, number of tiebreakers that can be calculated along with which kind they are, and number of remaining games.

How far from the end of the season will Playoff Computer calculate results?

Once there are 320 or fewer remaining relevant games left in the schedule, the web-app can be used. There are increasing limitations to the inputs, calculation process, and "paths-to-clinch" analysis depending on how many games remain. See the full instructions for details.

Will I be able to use my computer while Playoff Computer is running?

It is suggested that other programs and unnecessary browser windows be closed, mainly to prevent accidentally ending the program, but also to give the program the maximum amount of internal resources available. Note that this program requires your computer to perform millions/billions/zillions of repetitive calculations for potentially extended amounts of time. While modern computers should not have any problems, It is up to the user to determine if their computer can handle this type of activity.

What kind of computer, hardware, and software do I need to use Playoff Computer?

The web-app should work with any computer and browser, but please let us know if you encounter difficulties. Note the program makes repetitive calculations for extended amounts of time. Modern PCs are well suited for this task, but it is the user's responsibility to determine if their computer is completely suitable for this type of activity. It technically will work on mobile devices but they are not recommended due to the immense computing power needed, and the display has not been designed for such use.

What happens to my personal info?

Any user info provided (name, email, address, etc.) is not given/sold to anyone else. No mailing lists are maintained. Payment info is not stored. Emails are only sent to respond to inquiries or in cases we note a problem with a user's experience.

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